Did everyone have a wonderful Thanksgiving? Grace and I had a great time reuniting in Cincinnati and cooking way too much food. Thanksgiving is kind of the holy grail of holidays in our family, especially because it centers around one giant meal. We divvy up the dishes amongst the five of us, and this year I ended up with the cranberry sauce.

I knew I wanted to stick to the classics for this one. Sometimes simple is the best option, and in this case that is definitely true. I decided to pair the complimentary flavors of cranberries, orange, and cinnamon, and it turned out beautifully.

I also knew that I wanted to keep the sugar content on the low side, since the tartness of the cranberries is what makes the sauce taste so refreshing. Cranberry sauce also makes awesome leftovers—stirred into muffin batter, topping vanilla ice cream, or spread onto a grilled cheese—the possibilities are endless. So bookmark this recipe for next year, and I promise you won't be disappointed!

Cranberry Sauce with Orange and Cinnamon

Serves 8 to 10

Ingredients

2 (8 ounce) packages cranberries, fresh or frozen

1 orange, zested and juiced

1/2 cup sugar

1 cinnamon stick

Instructions

Put all ingredients in a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat. Simmer for about 15-20 minutes, until cranberries have burst and sauce has thickened. Serve at room temperature or cool and refrigerate. Remove cinnamon stick before serving.